Breckenridge Spartans

Where we do Ironman, our friends in the ward do Spartan.  They invited us up to Breckenridge this weekend to race with them.  Jeremy had his Risas' retreat so he couldn't race; I had signed up but because of my ankle I couldn't race; the kids, however, were healthy and available so we went up anyway.  The Skinners booked a cabin that was large enough to fit all of us (Skinners, Mortensens, Schramms, Davidsons, Nielsons, Werners, Nielsons' cousins, and Todd).  It was a wild, wild party.  The kids were in absolute heaven because they had so many friends to run around with. They would show up for snacks, or to ask if they could get back in the hot tub, but for the most part they entertained themselves for two days.  Two bedrooms were set aside as the sleepover rooms and the girls thought that was the best part.  I have no idea what time the kids actually fell asleep.  None of the adults slept well, but our late night card games may have contributed to that.  

How many kids can you fit in one hot tub?

Look at those girls' cute bed head!  They are all exactly the same.  That whiteboard kept everyone happy for hours.  It was a miracle.

The morning of the race was odd for me, I didn't have an athlete to track!  We walked up with everyone else to join in the excitement and to get the kids ready for their race. 

Waiting... 

Show me your muscles!

The men folk were so fast that we missed half of them crossing the finish line which was too bad.  But they all finished in time to watch the kiddos go.  The one milers went first.

  They had to do two laps of the course, so we were able to watch them almost the whole way.  Cambrie did fantastic.  She stayed with Brynlee who was having trouble because her leg was bothering her.  (Good job sweetie!)  

When it was time for the half-mile race I was a little nervous.  Not for McKenzie because she's a pro, but for Kelton.  I know he's capable of doing each of the obstacles but how would he do if something went wrong?  

I handed Daxton over to a very tired Brandon Nielson so I could follow Kelton just in case.  I had nothing to worry about.  Before I knew it he had launched himself over three different walls.  

About half-way through he turned around and said, "Mom, I got this!  Go away!"  I laughed as I pulled away to watch him finish.  

All of the kids love their new medals, but Kelton is a little obsessed.  He wore his non-stop the rest of the trip.  We had a hard time getting him to take it off for the hot tub.  

Here are all of the kids.  What an awesome, awesome group of friends!  

The women folk supporting their families.  

And my amazing crew.  Even though I didn't race, I had so much fun.  

Before we left we checked out the ninja warrior set up.  Cambrie figured out the stepping stones and was one of the few who could do them.  

Kelton wanted to try even though he's a bit small.  

McKenzie had the slack line down pat.  Daxton just wanted to climb and do it all.  

Even though we had to walk back to our cabin, Kelton was on cloud nine and didn't complain about being tired once. What a trooper!  What a weekend!

Cowboy Up

I've always had a soft spot for cowboys.  So when my handsome husband turned up wearing this, I started giggling and smiling.  That handsome cowboy is mine!  The Risas' retreat was up at C Lazy U Ranch up in Granby.  They were told last year that they needed to get boots, hats, and all the duds before showing up.  I have to say that Jeremy cleans up pretty good.  

Cell service wasn't awesome while he was gone, which is what you expect from a dude ranch, but we did receive the occasional pictures from his adventures.  The girls sent him with some friends so that he wouldn't be lonely.  

His room had a private balcony that had a great view of the valley.  He said he also had a wood burning fireplace which would have been wonderful if it was a touch colder.  

Nearly 200 horses live at the ranch and Jeremy said it was really neat watching all of them trot out to pasture for the night in a type of horse parade.  

During their three days there they went horseback riding, hatchet throwing, shot bows and arrows, branded their boots, played poker, and he even squeezed in a mountain bike ride.  It made me wish I was up there too, because that just looked like fun.  

This is Clyde.  Jeremy preferred riding him to Bam Bam because he was faster.  But Bam Bam was smart and tried knocking Jeremy off by walking underneath a low hanging branch on purpose.  Their handler laughed and said that Bam Bam does things like that all the time.  

Horseback selfies are apparently harder than they look.

 

This looks like it could be some sort of marketing picture for Risas or C Lazy U,  I love it!

Staples for a noggin'

We have not been short on adventures around here lately.  Here's our latest: As I was getting ready for the day I heard Kelton crying downstairs.  It wasn't a super distressed cry but I decided to go check it out anyway.  I walked downstairs and saw Kelton holding his hand to head with blood pouring between his fingers and down his arm.  Ah!  What happened?!  All I could gather from between his cries was that he fell off the couch.  They climb all the time and this is really the first time he's ever fallen.  I cleaned the wound but had a hard time getting a good look at it because his hair was in the way.  There was a lot of blood, but head wounds always bleed so it wasn't really the best indicator of if we were headed to the ER or not.  I called Jeremy, who was on his way to work, and decided that I would rather be safe than sorry.  I put both boys in the car (still in their pj's) hopped in myself (wet hair and all), and drove to the emergency room (without eating breakfast).  
They were quick to treat Kelton, but every step still took time.  They gave him some Tylenol then some topical to numb his wound.  As we waited for the medicine to kick in we watched Daniel Tiger's neighborhood, and enjoyed some juice brought in by the nurse.

  Kelton was surprisingly really cheerful during this time.  He was smiling, being goofy, and was happy he had a new friend with him, Fish Person That Can Swim (killer name right?).  The nurse brought it in for him.  The saline solution they used to clean the wound was cold.  Kelton did not like that at all.  They gave him a heated blanket and he was in heaven.  He asked for another one just because he could.  After the wound was cleaned it was obvious that it needed to be stitched up and I felt a lot better about dragging everyone down.  The doctor wanted to use staples, which meant she had to give Kelton some more injections to control the pain.  That was definitely the worst part of the whole trip for him.  The staples didn't even make him flinch.  He now has three in the back of his head and thinks it's pretty cool.  They don't hurt him or bother him at all.  

When we got home we decided that making cookies seemed like a good reward for a boy who had been so brave.  He chose shape cookies and you might be able to see that we made pumpkins, bats, Christmas trees, hearts, Easter eggs, bones, flowers, gingerbread boys, and XO's.  It was a little haphazard but he didn't care.  He was in charge of sprinkles and had a blast.  

Up at the school he told his sisters that he cracked his head open today.  The girls thought he was just telling stories and were more than a little surprised that he really did.  They don't seem to think his staples are as cool as he does though.  Ask and he'll tell you all about how the doctor gave him staples to close his cracked head.

The Eclipse (as written by my crazy girls)

Maybe I shouldn't ask the girls to write blog post stories.  They get a little weird...  (The purple text is McKenzie, and green is Cambrie.)

"Once upon a time, there was an eclipse.  And we watched it at the school!"  (cue, dramatic music)  

"Once upon a time, the Rogers were living at the time of an eclipse in North America!"  ("Wait, write this instead.")

"One bright and sunny day, the Rogers were living at the time of an eclipse in North America! And they watched it with their special glasses."  (duh, duh, duh!)

"All of a sudden the eclipse looked like a giant banana!  Banana!  Banana!  Banana!"

"And the world plunged into darkness!  ...in Wyoming...or Idaho...or wherever you could see the full eclipse."

"Kelton was watching with us, and he was dancing with Daxton on top of the rocks with a tutu."

"And the shadows looked weird, like the moon."

"There was a bite out of the sun!"

"And the glasses were special.  It was dark like a welding mask."

"And the sun was a glowing crescent.  And there was a shadow of Super Puzzle flying towards us!"

"And the next day, the girls were goofing off writing this blog post."  (lots, and lots of ensuing laughter)

There is a lot of truth to their story however.  We didn't go up to Wyoming with my parents, but instead watched it from the school.  The boys came up with me and it was fun spending the time with the girls.  Each and every class that came outside said, "Whoa!" in perfect unison. I laughed each time.  

The only picture I was able to get with my phone showing the eclipse.  My parents had the help of s sweet telescope!

We were at 93% coverage, and I thought it would be close enough to 100% that we wouldn't notice much difference.  Nope.  The stories I heard from my parents were completely different than ours.  It went almost completely dark up in Idaho and the temperature dropped about fifteen degrees.  That corona and diamond ring look amazing!  I just may have to make sure I'm alive in 28 years to see the next one pass by here.

First day of school!

After meeting their teachers on Back-to-School night, the girls have been really excited to get back to school!  McKenzie is in 2nd grade this year with Mrs. Dennard.  She has a couple friends from last year in her class, but not a lot of church friends.  At first she was really disappointed about that.  But once she saw her classroom, met her teacher, and realized from her classroom she can spy on Cambrie, she's all set.  Her teacher asked us what our goals were for our children this year and I had a hard time thinking of any.  Really, I just want my kids to grow into compassionate human beings.  They are definitely on their way.  

Cambrie has Mr. Riley for 5th grade this year!  Ahh!  This is her last year at Meridian.  Wait?  How on earth did time fly by so quickly?  This is our sixth year here at the school and I cannot believe it.  Next year she'll be in middle school!  I am definitely not handling that well, she's growing into a beautiful young lady but she's still so young!  How I wish we could keep her at elementary school just one more year.  However, she thinks it's awesome that she's now a big, tough, fifth grader.  

I really enjoy the excitement of getting the girls ready for the first day of school.  They wanted a fresh coat of nail polish, and using McKenzie's dress and Cambrie's necklace as inspiration, we went with a rainbow theme.  They turned out really cute and playful.  

Up at the school I embarrassed Cambrie by taking a picture where her friends could see.  (I know, I'm so insensitive.)   But I had to! I did promise her that next year I would not take a picture of her by her middle school.  Because even I, the insensitive mom, realize that being seen taking a picture with your mom is not cool.  You see, this is the last year these two girls will be in the same school until they reach 9th, and 12th grade.  They won't have each other to rely on in the halls for seven more years!  (That just makes me want to cry!)  They have always been so cute when they see each other in the halls.  They give each other hugs, high fives, or quick tickles in passing.  Next year it will be up to McKenzie to be there for Kelton, and Cambrie will have to fend for herself again.  Here's to a year that I hope passes slowly so I can enjoy it.

Elitch Gardens

My kids can spot a roller coaster from a mile away.  So you can imagine my problem every time I drive down past Denver.  Elitch Gardens sits right next to the freeway and my kids ask, every time we pass it, if we can go on those roller coasters.  Jeremy and I decided that having one last final summer hurrah at Elitch's sounded like a great idea.  School has already started for some of the school districts which meant that even though some of the rides weren't operating, most of them were, and most of them didn't have any line at all.  We arrived right as they opened.  

Jeremy took the girls to the high thrill rides right off the bat just in case crowds did show up.  I took the boys to the kid zone.  Kelton wanted to ride them all.  Some of them he could go on by himself like the motorcycles, Jumping Jack, and Crazy Bus.  

Some of them I needed to go on with him to supervise, like the train ride, spinning boat, and buckeroo roller coaster.  

The problem we ran into however, was Daxton.  He was old enough for many of them but was scared out of his wits.  He'd wiggle to get out of my arms, grab my hand, and pull me away from the line shaking his head, "No," and stomping his feet.  He wanted nothing to do with the rides.  The only way I was able to get him on the train ride was because he is totally into trains right now and wanted to see the choo-choo.  Sometimes he would whimper, then kind of tell himself, "I'm okay.  I can do this.  I'm on a choo-choo."  He was a trooper, but you could tell he'd rather be anywhere else-like the stroller.  I managed to get him on the ferris wheel too.  As long as he didn't look over the side he was able to forget what sort of crazy thing his brother had talked him into.  

When the girls came back they were so excited.  The roller coasters were awesome according to their report.  I took over for a few rides with the girls, and I agree, they were a lot of fun.  Brain scrambler really did scramble my brain though.  I swear I didn't used to be this wimpy when it came to roller coaster side effects.  After a few rides we went back to get the boys and to go on a few family rides.  Jeremy had spotted a log flume that looked like fun, so that's where we went.  Somehow I was the one volunteered to go with the three kids.  I'm glad we didn't do more reconnaissance before hopping in that line, because I'm not sure I would have agreed.  It only went up, then down.  No little drops, no little props to distract you from the final fall.  As we were boarding I realized just how wet everyone was who was getting off.  I kept my feet up off the floor that was flooded, and hoped for the best.  The splash at the bottom was incredible!  I don't know how a boat that size made a splashdown that big!  We were completely soaked!  Well, at least we still had most of the day to dry off.  

We made our way across the bridge to the exit and I suddenly realized that the crashing wave from the boat completely swamps the bridge!  I had Kelton in my hand and I started pulling him as fast as I could to try to beat the wave.  I failed and we were wetter than we were when we had first come off the ride.  Kelton was not too happy about being dragged down the stairs and getting wet again.  Jeremy on the other hand was laughing hysterically because he had seen the whole thing.  

I took Kelton to the bathroom to stand under the hand dryers while Jeremy took the two very wet girls on some more roller coasters.  While Kelton was waiting for them to come back, he spotted the tilt-a-whirl and really wanted to do that.  I have avoided spinning rides like the tilt-a-whirl for years and the girls know it.  They wanted to spin it so fast that I would throw up-little minions!  I had to close my eyes for the entire ride, but it was a lot of fun.  Jeremy didn't seem to have any of the same problems.  

It's a good thing we squeezed in as many thrill rides as possible because an afternoon thunderstorm came rolling in a shut down all of the aerial rides.  We went back to the kiddie zone and let the kids ride the tea cups and other little rides while we crossed our fingers and waited for the storm to pass quickly.  

It did and even though the boys were getting tired and the day was winding down we had time to each choose a couple final rides.  The tall swings were pretty thrilling but I think they finally put me over the edge.  I was very done after they let us down.  But then the big drop ride open, and I had to do that one too.  It drops farther than the Rocket and Lagoon and I just thought it would never reach the bottom.  But didn't turn me in any circles or turn me upside down so I thought it was the best thrill ride of the day.

 Jeremy wanted to ride the log flume and even though Kelton didn't want to experience that again, the girls happily obliged.  He thought he had escaped most of the splash but made the same mistake I did and was swamped by the next boat.  Now it was my turn to laugh!  

We had promised the kids Dippin' Dots, and with the storm we had a hard time finding an open kiosk.  We finally found one as we were walking out of the park and all the kids thought they were they coolest things ever.  

Not bad for a last chance at summer fun eh?